Buying an antique violin
It may surprise many musicians to know that antique violins are extremely sought after, many of the very first violins created in the 16th century can actually retail for millions of dollars! This article is designed to educate readers about the history of these superb musical instruments and explain just exactly what makes an antique violin valuable.
As mentioned above the right antique violin can sell for an absolute fortune, in fact, the King Charles IX created in 1564 by Andrea Amati is actually considered to be priceless by many experts. Of course, like almost every other collectible item in the world, the primary feature which defines the exact worth of a violin is its brand name. Amati, Stainer, Bergonzi or Gaspare de Salo, if you were to come a across an instrument from any of these antique violin makers it could easily fetch over £100,000 ($170,000).
It is not just the original violins of the 16th century that can fetch a large amount of money; many old replicas can also be extremely valuable to collectors. During the middle of the 18 hundreds a trend started to emerge from many European violin makers, many of them designing affordable replicas which would appeal to those music enthusiasts and students who weren’t quite as well off. Previously violins had been only been owned by rather rich collectors or prominent musicians, rarely would one of these instruments fall into the posession of a regular person.
An antique violin can be valuable for the same reasons paintings and other artistic works are, they are either of great historic significance or the maker of the violin is held in high esteem by the musical community. More than anything though, ever since the practice of creating replica instruments started, the designs of these antiques are often used to create modern day violins. In fact, the shape and design of most modern day violins hasn’t changed much since the 1700’s.
The most sought after antique violins on the planet are those which were created in Cremona (Italy) during the period which most experts refer to as the ‘Golden Age’ of violin making. Cremona is home to some of the most famous antique violin makers in history, the most notorious being the Stradivarius family. So why are Stradivarius violins held in such high regard? Well, it’s because these instruments have dictated the sound and shape of all modern day violins.
If you own an antique violin then you may do well to hold on to it for a few years. Demand for these classic instruments is rising steadily; this combined with the diminishing supply of these antiques means that every year an antique violin will become more valuable. Most experts estimate that a great violin will rise in value by 2% a year, this can be a huge amount if you own a Stradivari model, many of the violins from this maker are valued at well over £1.5 ($2.7) million, that’s not a bad deal.
So if you are lucky enough to own a Stradivari violin there is something to be said for waiting a few years to sell it, after all, 2% interest on a £1.5 million antique violin over 10 years can set you up for retirement! Hey, it could even pay for your kid’s retirement if you’re feeling generous. I hope this article has given you an interesting insight to exactly how much a unique violin can cost and why they are so sought after. At the end of the day a great musical instrument is just like a great painting, if it’s a work of genius made from one of the most prominent names in the field it is going to be collectible.
Filed Under Violin | 1 Comment
Tagged With Amati violin, Antique violin, Antique violin bow, Antique violin makers, Antique violins, Gaspare de Salo violin, Stainer violin, Stradivari violin, Stradivarius violin, Stradivarius violins, violins
Comments
One Response to “Buying an antique violin”
Leave a Reply
Thanks for the very informative post. You do have a unique style of writing. Have you considered freelancing for an online magazine?